Combination rear light for vehicles



COMBINATION REAR LIGHT FOR VEHICLES Filed July 25. 1924 Patented June 7, 1927.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN ,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS8IGNMENTS,.

TO C. M. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

COMBINATION BEAR LIGHT FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed July 25, 1924. Serial 1Q'o. 728,( )85.

My invention relates to compartmental lamps in which separate lamp bulbs are employed for lighting lamp front portions re-. spectively opposite different compartments of the lamp casing. Lamps ofthis general class are commonly employed as rear lamps for vehicles to afford the usual tail light indication from a light in one compartment of the lamp casing, and to afford an occasional stop-signal indication from a light in another compartment.

For such purposes, my invention provides a novel construction and arrangement of the means for partitioning the casing into two compartments, for supporting two lamp bulbs so that their filaments will be disposed respectively within the two compartments, and for making separate circuit connections to the usual axial terminals of the two lamp bulbs. More particularly, my in-.

vention provides a construction for this purpose'in which the partitioning means have rearwardly diverging portions upon WlllCh the sockets for the two lamps are mounted,

in which the diverging of the said portions affords a space adjacent to the back of the casing for housing a pair of resilient conducting elements which respectively engage the said lamp terminals, and in which the back of the casing has a socket adaptedv to receive a wire-terminal plug so as to support the latter in proper conducting'relation to the said conducting elements.

Furthermore, my invention provides a compartmental lamp construction in which the rearwardly diverging portions of the partitioning means have eet secured to the ack of the casing so as to support thepartitioning means and the lamp sockets carried by the latter. It also provides a construction in which a single insulator aifords the mounting for the two resilient conducting elements which respectively engage the axial terminals of the two lamp bulbs, and in which these conducting elements extend respectively in opposite directions from the main portion of the partition and from theaxis of the said insulator. Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 isa front view of a combined tail and stop lamp for use on the rear of a vehicle, embodying my invention.

' pair of lamp Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of. the same lamp with the lens-carrying cover and the lamp bulbs detached.

Fig. 3 is a central and vertical section taken longitudinally through the same lamp, or along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

F1g. 4 is a rear view of the partitioning member, including the insulator and the pair of conducting members carried by this.

partitioning member. I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the insulator and the two conductingmembers fastened thereto, before this assembly is secared to the partitioning member.

Fig. 6 is a central and vertical section similar to that of Fig. 3, but with the lamp front omitted, showing another embodiment of my invention, namely one in which the two conducting members which respectively engage the axial terminals of the two lamp bulbs are mounted on separate insulators respectively secured to rearwardly diverging portions of the partitioning member, and in which each of these conducting members comprises two spring fingers.

" Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the two resilient conductors of the embodiment of.

1 to 5 inclusive, this shows a lamp in whichthe casing has a substantially cylindrical lateral wall 1 integral with a vertical and substantially flat back 2. This cylindrical wall is flared out at its forward or mouth end to receive a lens front including an upper glass portion 3 bearing the signal indication Stop and a lower light-concentrating portion 4, both of which lens portions are here shown as carried by a correspondingly apertured cover plate 5 which has a peri heral flange telescoped over the mouth of t 1e casing. The casing also has the lower portion of its Wall 1 cut away to afford an openin closed by a curved glass pane 6 which is eld in position by clips 7 and through which light from the lower lamp bulb can issue downwardly for lighting the license plate which is usually disposed below the lamp. I

To light the said lower lens portions and window pane, I provide within the casing a bul s 7 and 8 of the usual ty e aving metal collars 9 and 10 respectively socketed in tubular sockets 11 and 12, each of these sockets having bayonet slots 42 receiving and interlocking with the usual laterally projecting pins 13 upon the lamp base socketed by it.

To support these sockets and to divide the casing 1nto compartments respectively opposite the lens front portions 3 and 4, I provide a partitioning member which has a forward ortion 14 extending substantially to the said lens front and which has a pair of rearwardly diverging webs 15 and 16. One of these webs, namely the web 16 is here shown as integral with the forward and generally horizontal partition portion 14, while the other web 15 is secured to this portion 14 b rivets 17. Thus arranged, the rearwar 1y diverging webs 15 and 16 afiord a space adjacent to the back of the casing for housing the conducting elements hereafter mentioned, and in the present embodiment thisspace is extended forwardly of the casing so as to afford additional room for housing an insulator 18 and the portions of the conducting members which are fastened to that insulator.

This insulator in the illustrated embodiment comprises a flat plate 18 having a pair of perforations 19 through whichthe rivets 17 extend, so that these rivets serve for s1- multaneously securing the separate web 15 to the main partition portion 14 which carries the other web, and also for securing the insulating plate rigidly to the partitioning member which includes both webs. Mounted on the insulating plate 18 are a pair of conducting members, which members are here shown as having feet 20 bearing flatwise against opposite sides of the insulating plate 18 and respectively secured to the latter by rivets 21 and 22. Each of these conducting members also has a resilient finger overhangin the rear edge of the insulating plate and t ese insulating fingers 23 and 24 extend transversely of the insulator 18 and in opposite direction from each other, thereby enabling these resilient fingers to respectlvely engage the axial terminals 25 and 26 of the two lamps. With this in mind, the sockets 11 and 12 are open at the back so that resilient fingers or conducting elements 23 and 24 can readily engage the said axial lamp terminals without touching the adjacent webs of the partitioning member.

To afford the needed circuit connections to the conducting members of which the said resilient fingers form a part I provide the back of the casing with a tubular socket 47 which opens into the said space between the two diverging webs, this socket having bayonet slots 56 for receiving the usual lateral pins 27 on a wire terminal plug. This plug is here shown as including a pair of wire terminals 28 which are both mounted in an insulator 29 and which are respectively connected by spring pressed plungers 30 and 31 to the resilient fingers 23 and 24.

To support the partitioning member in proper position for this purpose, I desirably provide each of the two diverging webs of the partitioning member with a foot engaging the back of the casing, these feet being here shown as 32 and 33 and each of these feet being secured to the back of the casing by a screw 34. I also desirably provide the partitioning member at its forward edge with a air of ears 35 adapted to engage the back of the lamp front and threaded to receive screws 36 extending through the said front to fasten the latter in its normal closure position.

With the lamp thus constructed, and with the forward edge of the partitioning member shaped so as to be opposite the portion of the lamp front between the lens parts 3 and 4 (or substantially along the dotted line 37 of Fig. 1), it will be evident that the forward partitioning portion 14 together with the downwardly and rearwardly di-. rected web portion 16 form a top for the lower compartment of the casing so that light from the lower lamp bulb 8 will not reach the upper compartment. It will also be evident that the inclination of the diverging webs permits each lamp to have its filament disposed at some distance from the lamp front while employing a relatively short. casing. 50 also, the divergence of the webs affords the needed room for portions of the conducting member which carry'the current respectively from the two'wire ter minals'to the axial lamp terminals, thereby permitting an unusually compact lamp construction. By disposing the plug socket 25 substantially in axial alinement with the main portion of the partitioning member and with the insulator 18, I provide an assembly which will readily adapt itself for use with standard types of two-wire attaching plugs, andby employing the widely spaced feet of the rearwardly diverging webs as supports for the partitioning member, I can readily secure an unusually firm supporting of the latter so as to permit the use of relatively thin material for its construction. I I

However, while I have heretofore described my invention in an embodiment in which one of the diverging webs is integral with the forward portion ofthe partitioning .member and in which both of the resilient conducting members are carried by a single insulating plate secured to the partitioning member, I do'not wish to be limited to these or other details of the construction and arrangement thus disclosed. Obviously, many modifications might be made without departing eithcr from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

For example, Fig. 6 shows an embodiment being insulated from the corresponding web,

as for example by insulators 45 and 46.

Each of the said conducting members has one finger 44 laterally offset from the other, so that these two fingers extend freely alongside each other in engaging the plug terminals which are spaced laterally of the lamp, while the other two fingers 43 have their medial lines in the medial plane of the two lamp bulbs and each engage a terminal of one of these bulbs.

With either embodiment, the diverging webs of the partitioning member coo era'te with the back of the casin for afl'or ing a rear chamber in which the ase terminals of the two lamp bulbs and the forward ends of the circuit terminals are exposed, and this chamber also houses the two conducting members;

I claim as my invention:

1. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a partition dividing the casing into two compartments and having a palr of webs extending in diverging relation up to the back of the casing, means upon each web for holding a lamp bulb with the base thereof extending through that web into the s ace between the diverging webs and the ack of the casing, a pair of circuit terminal members, means for supportin the said members from the casing and for insulating the said members both from each other and from the casing, two resilient conducting elements respectively connecting the said members with the axial terminals of the lamp bulbs, and means for supporting the said elements from the partition and for insulating the said elements from each other and from the partition.

A lamp as per claim 1, in which each web has a foot portion secured to the back of the casing.

3. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a partition dividing the casing into two compartments and having a pair of webs diverging from each other toward the back of the casing, means upon each web for holdin a lamp bulb with the base thereof extending through that web into the space between the diverging webs and the back of the casing, a plug socket mounted on the back of the casing and opening) into the said space, an insulator carried y the socket, a pair of relatively insulated circuit terminal members carried by the insulator and projecting forwardly into the casing, two resilient con ducting members disposed within the casing and respectively connecting the circuit'terminal members with the axial terminals of the lamp bulbs, and means for supporting the said members from the partition and for insulating the said members from each other and from the partition.

4. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a partition dividing the casing into two compartments and having a pair of webs diverging from each other toward the back of the casing, means upon each web for holding a lamp bulb with the base thereof extending through that web into the space between thediverging webs and the back of the casing; two resilient conducting members respectively engaging the axial terminals of the two lamp bulbs, means for supporting the said members within the said space and for insulating the said members from each other, and detachable means carried by the back of the casing for affording two relatively insulated circuit connections respectively to the two conducting members.

5. In alamp, :1. forwardly open casing, a partition dividing the casing into two compartments and having a pair of webs diverging from each other toward the back of the casing, means upon each web for holdin a lamp bulb with the base thereof extendmg through that web into the space between the diverging webs and the back of the casing, a. pair of resilient conducting members disposed in the said space and each having a portion enga ing a terminal of one lamp bulb, the said members having other portions disposed adjacent to each other and to the back of the casing, means mounting said members on and insulating them from said partition, and means carried by the back of the casing for afi'ording circuit connections respectively to the said conducting members at the said other portions,

6. A lamp as per claim 1, including an insulator on which both of the said conducting elements are mounted, the insulator having its axis substantially in the plane from which the webs of the partition diverge and the conducting elements having lamp-hulb-en gaging portions extending in respectively opposite directions transversely of the said plane.

7 A lamp as per claim 1, including an insulating plate secured fiatwise to the parti tion, and extending into the said space between the diverging webs, the said conducting elements being mounted upon the insulating plate.

8. A lamp as per claim 1, in which one of the webs is integral with the partition and the other web has a portion secured to the partition, each web having a foot secured to the back of the casing for supporting the partition.

9. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a partitioning member mounted in the casing including means providing a chamber adjacent to the back of the casing and dividing the part of the casing forwardly of the said chamber into upper and lower compartments, a pair of circuit terminals extending through the back of the casing into the said chamber, means for supporting the said circuit terminals from the back of the casing and for in: sulating the circuit terminals both from each other and from the back of the casing, means upon the partitioning member for supporting two lamp bulbs with their bulbs respectively in the said upper and lower compartments and with the base terminals both disposed in the said chamber, two resilient conducting members both disposed in the said chamber and each connectin one of the circuit terminals with one o the said base terminals, and means carried by the partitioning member for supporting the said conducting members and for insulating the conductin members both from each other and from the partitioning member.

10. A lamp construction as per claim 9, in which each of the conducting members includes a rigidly supported portion and a pair of resilient arms respectively engaging one of the circuit terminals and one of the said base terminals.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan,July 17th,

. CHARLES E. GODLEY. 

